Voters decide on Puyallup School District’s $32 million levy
Puyallup-area voters have decided to tax themselves $32 million over the next two years to support teacher salaries, extracurricular programs, mental health supports and campus maintenance in the Puyallup School District.
The two-year levy had 58 percent of the vote Tuesday, according to initial election results from the Pierce County Auditor’s Office. An estimated 70 percent of ballots had been counted by Tuesday evening.
The “Supplemental Educational Programs And Operations Levy” will increase the rate on an existing levy from $1.74 to $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Total school district taxes collected will increase from $3.83 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $4.32. That includes a technology levy and bond payments for construction of the elementary and junior highs.
Money from the levy is expected to cover costs that state and federal funds don’t.
“Levy dollars help the district maintain reasonable class sizes. They also pay for textbooks and learning materials used in the classroom,” the district said.
Property owners in the Puyallup School District will still pay less than surrounding school districts, which vary from Sumner Bonney Lake’s $5.38 per $1,000 of assessed property value to Orting’s $4.82.
School district staff have projected a significant budget deficit of $39.6 million over the next three years. Board president Kathy Yang called the supplemental levy crucial. Yang recognized that this was a tough year for families financially, but said there would be cuts if the levy did not pass.
Without the surplus, school district funds would be “insufficient to enable the district to pay for all educational programs and daily operations to properly meet the educational needs of students.”
Last year, voters rejected a $273 million bond measure to renovate high schools.
